Delhi: Congress MPs aren't too pleased about party President Sonia Gandhi's suggestion that Parliament work on Saturdays. "She has Amethi visiting Delhi, we can't afford to do that," says one. But Sonia herself might find it hard to cram more into her tight schedule. She arrived 45 minutes late for the all-India leaders' conference on discipline and decorum in Parliament and state legislatures. To think she was to initiate the discussion.

Netting the Spouse

Raipur: "Take it home for the missus" seems to be the new mantra driving liquor sales in this part of the world. "It" here means not the pavva, addha or the botal but the eggs, rice and flour that come gratis with liquor. A muddle-headed Chhattisgarh excise policy has been unable to accelerate sales or return revenue, prompting liquor contractors to adopt new sales pitches. This one used to be the year-end stock clearance idea; now branded companies have opted for it too. Some of them-Bangalore and Delhi-based-are offering kitchen utility items like knife sets and juicers for men to assuage their wives with. Perhaps it's the perfect recipe for domestic harmony.

Half and Half

Delhi: In the age of excess, simple weddings are unusual. So the quiet ceremony at which Poonam, the daughter of Pramod Mahajan, minister for communications, information technology and parliamentary affairs, wed businessman Anand Rao, was quite a surprise. Only "three-and-a-half" politicians were invited to the party on November 28. Three of them were Prime Minister A. B. Vajpayee, Home Minister L.K. Advani and Minister of State in the PMO Vijay Goel. BJP Vice-President Gopinath Munde is the "half" as Mahajan feels is only half a politician since he happens to be his brother-in-law.

Keeping an Eye on the Ball

Chandigarh: Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa has a knack for games management. The sports freak who helped organise the National Games in Punjab recently gave an example of sportsmanship off the field. While he was watching a basketball match at Ludhiana, a ball gone astray hit him in the face, smashing his spectacles. The embarrassed player apologised, but Dhindsa made light of the incident and sat through the match without spectacles. Political behaviour does seem to improve in an election year.